In the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the east of the county, Manager Wang looked at the few scattered customers with a gloomy face.

A waiter walked in and whispered a few words in Manager Wang's ear. Manager Wang frowned and said, "You mean, the person making the ice is a young girl?"

"That should be right. That girl has close ties with Chunhui Courtyard. I heard the waiter inside calling for the second-in-command."

Shopkeeper Wang pondered for a moment, then whispered something to the waiter. After the waiter left, he tapped the counter with his chubby hand, seemingly plotting something.

As Liu Huan strolled along the street, she was completely unaware that someone was following her. When she passed through an alley, two men quickly stood in front of her. "Young lady, my boss would like to invite you to have a cup of tea."

Looking at the two men in front of her, with their fierce and menacing appearances, Liu Huan looked more like they were there to send her to the execution ground than to invite her for tea.

She straightened up, feigning composure: "I'm sorry, I don't have time right now."

She tried to walk past the two men, but one of them grabbed her arm. "Miss Liu, I think you should go ahead."

Seeing that the two men looked formidable, and knowing that Chen Lian and Changsheng had been sent away on other business, leaving him alone in this remote area, Liu Huan decided against a direct confrontation. To avoid further trouble, he had no choice but to go with them.

"Let's go then!"

Liu Huan was taken to a courtyard where two thugs were standing at the entrance.

Upon entering, I saw a portly middle-aged man with a fierce expression; he looked unapproachable.

"You're the second owner of Chunhui Restaurant?"

That powerful voice was indeed a bit intimidating.

"May I ask who you are?"

Liu Huan did not deny it, but simply asked who he was.

"I may tell you, I am Manager Wang of Zuixianlou, and the owner's surname is Jiang."

Jiang? That's the county magistrate's surname. The previous magistrate who gave Su Yi the jade pendant that year was credited with managing the drought and has already gone to the capital.

She remembered that the current county magistrate's surname was Jiang.

"I don't know him."

You don't even need to think to know what he's trying to do.

Manager Wang sneered, "It doesn't matter if you don't know me. You'll find out after we start working together."

"What kind of cooperation?" Liu Huan feigned ignorance.

"I know Chunhuilou is giving you a 30/70 split. Don't you think you're getting a bad deal?"

Liu Huan said, "Say what you want to say."

"Work with me, and I'll give you a 40/60 split." After saying that, he took out a contract and placed it in front of Liu Huan.

Liu Huan didn't even glance at it. "Manager Wang, everything has its order of arrival. Now that I've already partnered with the Guan family, there's no reason for me to switch to another family."

Shopkeeper Wang thought for a moment, "You haven't signed a contract for the ice, have you? How about we sign a contract for this instead?"

Liu Huan shook her head. "We've already signed it. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

Unexpectedly, the servant at the door closed the door, and Manager Wang said with a half-smile, "Miss Liu, I tried to reason with you but you wouldn't listen. I advise you not to refuse a polite offer and then suffer the consequences."

...

When Su Yi returned, there was no one in the courtyard.

Logically, the house should be filled with the aroma of food by this time, but he felt uneasy.

On their way out, they encountered Changsheng and his companion returning, chatting and laughing.

His heart skipped a beat: "Where's Huanhuan?"

Chen Lian was puzzled. "Isn't Huanhuan at home? Changsheng took me to the market to buy what Huanhuan needs."

Upon hearing this, Su Yi dared not delay any longer, wondering if she had gone to Chunhui Tower. When he went to ask, the waiter told him that she had already left.

Now leaderless and not knowing where to look for someone, he suppressed his fear and ran to the Guan residence.

"Young Master, Scholar Su has arrived."

Guan Chang was eating shaved ice when he heard this and was taken aback. "Brother Su, didn't you go home? Why are you here?"

He stopped eating the shaved ice and hurried outside. "Brother Su, what's wrong?"

Su Yi looked somewhat flustered, but upon seeing Guan Chang, he tried to regain his composure: "Has Huanhuan come to the manor?"

"No, did you see it?" Guan Chang asked his servants.

"No, Miss Liu didn't come today."

Su Yi lowered his eyes slightly, and Guan Chang immediately said, "Brother Su, don't worry, I'll send someone to look for it right away."

Su Yi didn't dare to delay, turned around and ran out, searching everywhere.

As darkness fell, Liu Huan vanished without a trace, as if he had never been to the county.

Su Yi was relatively calm at first, but the later it got, the more frightened he became. He had thought of all the possible consequences, but he had no connections in the county and could only rely on the Guan family to bring him good news.

In a small courtyard in the east of the city, Liu Huan slumped on a stool, looking at the faint candlelight and sighing in his heart.

She knew that in this wicked ancient era, without a proper identity, anyone could imprison or threaten her.

He could only pin his hopes on the Guan family rescuing him.

Stone will be very worried when he finds out. That damned Manager Wang, does he think he can get her to back down after detaining her for a few days?

Lost in thought, she leaned back on the stool and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the culprit who brought her here, Manager Wang, is currently in a mansion in the south of the county, where Fu Xiao is staying.

"Master, that Miss Liu is completely ungrateful and keeps making excuses. Should we take a tougher approach?"

The first seat was occupied by a man in his early twenties with sunken, bluish eyes. His outer garment was slightly open, and a faint, fishy smell permeated the air around him, clearly indicating excessive indulgence in sex.

"How old do you think she is?" The voice was still a little hoarse.

Shopkeeper Wang thought for a moment, but still disregarded morality and said, "Around ten years old, and quite handsome."

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes flashed with interest: "It just so happens that those two useless ones in the backyard are about to die. Bring her here, and I, this young master, will personally train her."

A hint of hesitation flashed in Manager Wang's eyes, because he had learned that Miss Liu was living with a scholar, and he was just about to bring it up.

The man in the seat began to get impatient. "Hurry up and go, what are you all standing there for?"

He had no choice but to swallow his words and pray that the scholar wouldn't find out.

When Liu Huan was woken up, she was starving and feeling extremely uncomfortable.

He was exhausted and was taken to a mansion, bound and gagged. The black hood over his head was removed, and he was all alone.

She mustered her courage and took two steps forward, and saw four masked men dragging two small corpses out from inside.

His clothes were disheveled and stained with blood, and his exposed skin was covered in bruises. Judging by his age, he was not much different from hers.

She suddenly thought of the recent cases of missing children, and a chill ran down her spine, her whole body trembling.

"What, are you scared already?"

Looking in the direction of the voice, one could see a handsome man, but his unbridled gaze suggested that he was the one who had harmed the two women.

What do you want to do?

"Don't get excited. I just heard that the second owner of Chunhui Restaurant is a girl who is about ten years old, so I wanted to invite you to come and see. She is indeed very young!"

The man looked very unruly, and Liu Huan couldn't help but pray.

Stone, help!